AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Republican Paul LePage says he won’t be going to Augusta with an “ax to be chopping heads” but that he’ll be seeking to do what he did as mayor of Waterville: Reverse the trend of high taxes, streamline regulations, and shrink the size and scope of government.
LePage defeated independent Eliot Cutler and three other candidates to become the first Republican to be elected Maine governor since John McKernan won his second term in 1990.
The race was so close that LePage had to wait until late Wednesday morning to learn he’d won. Cutler called to congratulate him.
LePage tells The Associated Press that he’ll be assembling his transition team on Wednesday and Thursday. He said he’ll be ready to hit the ground running in January.
-
- FILE – In this Tuesday, Sept 21, 2010 file photo, Republican Paul LePage speaks during a debate in Waterville, Maine. LePage told a group of fishermen at a GOP forum Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010, that he won’t be afraid to tell President Barack Obama to “go to hell.” LePage said it at a fisheries forum in Brooksville during a discussion of federal regulations that critics say are driving Maine fishermen to poverty. The remark was caught on video by a Democratic Party aide. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach, File)
Send questions/comments to the editors.
